2019 Hot Wheels Legends Tour – El Segundo, CA
Almost every gearhead can trace their enthusiasm for cars back to the first Hot Wheels toy they got as a child. The small scale is perfect for tiny hands and the low price makes them attractive to parents. And who would have thought, 51 years after the first model was made, we’d be celebrating their continued success at the Hot Wheels HQ in El Segundo, CA?
We attended one of the stops on the 2019 Hot Wheels Legends Tour, which was held in the parking lot of the Hot Wheels design studio. This is the second year for the Legends Tour, which kicked off in 2018 to celebrate the brand’s 50th anniversary.
The 2019 Hot Wheels Legends Tour will visit 17 Walmart locations around the USA (plus the Hot Wheels HQ) where enthusiasts are invited to show their own cars. As well as coming together for a fun event, the traveling car show is searching for the next custom vehicle worthy of becoming a Hot Wheels die-cast car. A panel of star judges choose their favorite car from each event and the 18 winners will be invited to the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas in November. From there, one amazing car will be inducted into the Hot Wheels Garage of Legends and then transformed into a 1:64-scale Hot Wheels die-cast car for kids and collectors around the world.
Judges at the El Segundo event included TV celebrities, Jay Leno and Adam Carolla. They selected Greg Salzillo’s ’57 Nash Metropolitan “Nashole” as the winning car. It certainly had a unique appearance and met the judge’s criteria of authenticity, creativity and garage spirit.
There were plenty of other cars to enjoy at the show, including Hot Wheels favorites and a raft of supercars. It was an incredible opportunity to see not one but three Pagani Huayra supercars, two Koenigseggs and a McLaren P1 GTR. Wild modified cars were everywhere, from domestics to European sports cars as well as a huge number of stock and modified Japanese cars – see our separate blog at eneos.us/blogfor more photos and details of the JDM cars.
For more information about the 2019 Hot Wheels Legends Tour visit: hotwheels.mattel.com/explore/HW_50th/en/legends-tour
